Abstain: William Hague revealed that Britain will not back a crucial UN vote to give a Palestinian state higher status

Britain will not back a crucial UN vote to give a Palestinian state higher official status unless it unconditionally returns to peace talks with the Israelis.

Foreign Secretary William Hague revealed that the government would abstain from today's vote as it had not yet received those guarantees.

He warned time was running out to broker a deal between the parties because of the pace of Israeli settlement building.

President Mahmoud Abbas wants Palestinians to be given UN ‘non-member observer status’, such as that enjoyed by the Vatican. This will give it a greater presence at the UN.

The crunch vote will come at the UN General Assembly, where the majority of countries including France, are sympathetic to the Palestinians.

Members of the UN Security Council will not have a veto on the issue, which makes it likely that a resolution will be passed in the teeth of opposition from Israel and the US.

Mr Hague told MPs: ‘Up until the time of the vote itself, we will remain open to voting in favour of the resolution, if we see public assurances by the Palestinians on these points.

‘In the absence of these assurances, the UK would abstain on the vote. This would be consistent with our strong support for the principle of Palestinian statehood, but our strong concern that the resolution could set the peace process back,’ he told the House of Commons in a statement.’

He insisted 2013 would be a crucial year for negotiations, adding that there were up to two years left to broker the deal.

Mr Hague also urged the Palestinians
to drop plans to try to sue Israel through the International Criminal
Court over the occupied territories.

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Israel
has threatened to rebuff any negotiations if the Palestinians have
their status upgraded, arguing it would undermine efforts to secure a
Middle East peace settlement.

But Mr Hague was warned that abstaining on the vote would be an ‘abdication of Britain’s responsibilities’.

Tension: There are fears the vote could stoke further tension with Israel,l following the ceasefire, which was celebrated by Palestinians, pictured

Pushed ahead with vote: President Mahmoud Abbas wants Palestinians to be given UN 'non-member observer status' like the Vatican

Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander accused him of agreeing to the ‘threats’ issued by the Republican-run Congress which would ‘punish the Palestinians’ for taking diplomatic steps.

Mr Alexander added: ‘Statehood for the Palestinians is not a gift to be given, but a right to be acknowledged.

‘I warn the Foreign Secretary, if the UK abstains tomorrow it will not be a measure of our growing influence, it will be a confirmation of our growing irrelevance to meaningful engagement in the search for peace.’

He urged the Foreign Secretary ‘not to dither, but to decide to vote for enhanced recognition for the Palestinians at the UN tomorrow’.

Labour MP Sir Gerald Kaufman, said Mr Hague was ‘offering Mr Abbas all support short of actual support’.

He added: ‘The right honourable gentleman sits on his hands.’ Mr Hague also faced criticism from Tory colleagues, with Conservative MP Nicholas Soames saying: ‘I profoundly disagree with what he says and whatever this resolution states these conditions are unnecessary and one sided and grossly unfair.’

But Labour MP Louise Ellman questioned why the Palestinians would go back to negotiations they abandoned two years ago if they were first given enhanced status upfront.

Conservative MP Robert Halfon warned Hamas would see the vote as a ‘victory’ for its rocket attacks on Israel.

Violence: About 160 Palestinian people were killed in the eight day offensive in Gaza that has sparked renewed international debate over Palestine's UN status